


As the storm blows over

by sereniteasocks



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-13
Updated: 2014-11-13
Packaged: 2018-02-25 05:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2610764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sereniteasocks/pseuds/sereniteasocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the debacle at Hero's birthday, Dogberry slowly acts on his crush on Meg.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-upload from my main tumblr (icypiece) , and as the last part was written in September, it might not have an actual ending.

It had been their civil duty to film the whole thing, that he and Verges agreed on.

There were some other issues, however.

Should he really have focused so much on Meg, should he had stopped filming when Robbie..advised against it, and more importantly what they could actually change - should they share their previous videos more widely? That is, make it so that the people involved actually watched them?

For the first issue, he had not meant to focus so much on Meg. Really, he hadn’t. He knew he should have tried to keep the camera on Hero and Claudio, or John, or something. But it was too stressful of a situation to think about those things, and his camera focused on what he focused on. Which happened, a lot of the time, to be Meg..

When Robbie had asked him to stop filming he had been scared, really scared, but here he fulfilled his duty. Which Verges had admired, but she was worried for his safety. He wasn’t. Protecting the truth and providing proof, doing justice basically, always came first.

And should they share their videos more widely? They could get Ursula to watch them, she would surely know what’s best.. It would fix things, partly anyway. Everyone would know what a scoundrel Robbie and John were, Hero’s reputation, if not general well being, would be safe again..

But.. thing was, other people involved might get hurt. People who..might feel foolish, used, guilty.. people who had been wronged, but might not feel it to be that way. People who already looked sad.. people he wanted to smile.

Pretty much everybody, who still attended school, ignored each other the following days. They kept on ignoring him, even Robbie. They were all in their own little worlds.

Meg didn’t hear him the first few times after their shared English class when he asked her if she was alright. After he practically screamed it at her she paused, for a long while, and then said yeah, sure, while looking at the ground.

He knew things would be like that for quite a while. He didn’t know how to deal with it. He sneaked some pictures into her locker; happy dogs, cats, sleeping babies, those sort of things. He sneaked in a gift card to a coffee shop.

But what should he do next? He was unsure. All he felt certain he could do, for now, was to ask.


	2. Chapter 2

The whole ordeal had been it. She finally had had enough, and dumped Robbie. He expected it to blow over; it always had. She couldn’t blame him for that - she had screamed “this is it” a few too many times before.

This time she meant it though. She didn’t flirt with other guys in front of him to make him jealous; she didn’t wear that red number that he liked but frankly was a little uncomfortable; she just ignored him. He finally seemed to get it, and didn’t push it. Which hurt a bit if she were to be honest, how easily he gave up, but good riddance.

Other guys tried to flirt with her. They often bad mouthed Robbie in order to do it, which felt quite nice, she had to admit. But she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, or even something casual or something very casual. At this moment, she just wanted to hang out with her friends.

The guys had all given up, at one moment or another. Except for Dogberry. Who hadn’t flirted with her, really. He just had asked her whether she was alright. Every Tuesday and Friday after their English class, he had asked her. It had been sweet, even if she assumed he had some ulterior motives, if a bit annoying.

One day, however, he didn’t ask if she was alright. He had waved goodbye, as it was the last class for the day, but that was it.

So it was the next class.

And the next.

And Meg couldn’t quite believe it, but she missed him asking her if she was alright.

So after the next class, she asked him why he had stopped.  
"Because you didn’t hesitate when you answered anymore. So I knew you were alright for real."  
"I hesitated?"  
"Just for one millisecond. But yes."  
She let that sink in, for a moment. She wasn’t aware of any hesitation.. but as she thought about it, she had never been quite alright. Almost, but not completely. Until now. It hadn’t been a conscious moment, it had happened so gradually, but it was true.  
"And so" he continued when it was clear she was through thinking, "I thought I might stop annoying you."  
"Oh." She had always thought he was completely clueless, but when it came to this.. he was strangely perceptive.  
"So I’ll see you in class, Meg" he said, walking towards his locker.  
"Wait.."she said. He turned around, clearly confused. "You know how we’re supposed to pick out a classic to read for class.. I thought maybe I’d try a Sherlock Holmes novel, and I thought maybe you could recommend me something? And maybe we could discuss it over coffee, or something?"  
That confused look turned into a big grin.  
"Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

Their walk to the coffee shop had been awfully quiet, with Dogberry glancing at her at time to time, mumbling, and then looking down at the ground. And Meg, normally very sociable, normally knowing what to say, found that she didn’t quite know what to say to him.

"A latte, please" Meg ordered.  
"Can I have some tea" Dogberry said.Meg paid for their order, at Dogberry’s quiet, very quiet, didn’t actually dare to say the words out loud, protest.  
"So" she began, a tiny, nervous smile on her lips. "What Sherlock story should I read?"  
"Well, the Hound of the Baskervilles is the most common, really, but if you want to begin from the beginning, there’s a Study in Scarlett."  
"But what if I want to read something with Irene Adler?"  
"If I’m not mistaken, that’d be a Scandal in Bulgaria. That’s a short story, though."  
"I could always read a collection though?"  
"Yes, yes, I supposed you could…"  
There was a brief silence broken by their orders coming in, with Dogberry getting some sugar. With “some” being 5 sugar cubes.  
"You really like it sweet, huh."  
"I like sweet in general.." which none would have reflected much about, had he not blushed directly after saying it.  
"Your name does contain berry. Maybe it’s in the family."  
"Yes, yes, it is possible it’s in my heresy. What does your name mean? Meg March. It’s very.."  
"Corny?"  
"Illiterate."  
Meg frowns her bow for a moment.  
"Alliterate?" she wonders. He nods. "Well, it’s after Meg March from Little Women. When my parents got me, my mum got very excited at the idea. She loves that book. At first my parents were going to have four girls and name them all after the March sisters.. But then they got divorced, so.."  
"Oh. Do you like the book?"  
"It’s a bit corny. There aren’t that many good bits.. It’s pretty sweet though, actually. Maybe you’d like it." Her eyes widen as she makes a sort of face at him.  
"Hm. I haven’t picked a classic yet. I’ve done a long list of possible selections, trying to deduct which would be ideal. This does speak in its favor.."  
She nods in response, and for a while they both sit and sip their beverage. Dogberry opens up the newspaper, hoping for some inspiration. He jumps to the horoscopes.  
"When’s your birthday?"  
"December 31th, actually.." she says, awaiting the questions.  
"Really?" Dogberry nearly shouts. "Mine’s the first of January!"  
"Really?" Meg lets out a small laugh. "So my birthday’s exciting, yours must kind of suck?"  
"Not at all, I go out with Verges trying to find my brother. It’s quite the challenge."  
"You like finding people?"  
"I do. It’s easier than finding cats.. have you ever heard about Tibbles?"  
"You mean the cat hanging around fifth street?"  
"It’s there?”  
"It might not be the same cat, but maybe?"  
Dogberry finishes of his tea, with a slight grimace, and stands up.  
"Meg, in preparation for your reading, would you like to accompany me on a job?"  
She is confused for one second, then immediately grin and stands up with him. She’s always up for an adventure.  
"Sure, Raspberry."


End file.
